


The Hotshot

by moreorles



Series: Station 19 Theme Week [1]
Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, Station 19 theme week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-09 19:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17413139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moreorles/pseuds/moreorles
Summary: Written for Day One of Station 19 Theme Week: Heat, Oxygen, Fuel, Chemical Chain Reaction or Pre-Canon/Pre-Relationships“This is my scene,” the new kid tells him.“Not anymore,” Herrera says.





	The Hotshot

The crew from Nineteen pulls up to the scene and the engine driver looks to Captain Herrera, whose jaw is clenched. They were supposed to be backup, supplementing the efforts of Station Seven, the crew under the leadership of the new hotshot captain. 

Hearing sirens in the distance, Herrera addresses his team, giving his orders and sending them off to begin initial assessments. Their reports are already crackling over his radio when Seven pulls in and the captain jogs over. Herrera holds his eye, his face impassive, while responding to his crew.

“This is my scene,” the new kid tells him.

“Not anymore,” Herrera says, then turns to address Seven, giving assignments and sending them in to join his team. 

Herrera already didn’t like him. He’d risen through the ranks too quickly for his liking. He’d worked his way through college as a volunteer firefighter and started at the academy weeks after graduating with his Bachelor’s degree. Then he sat for the lieutenant’s exam just months after completing his rookie year. It was impressive, but dangerous. Intellectually, he outpaced nearly everyone in the department, including the brass. But experience, Pruitt knew, counted for a lot when it came to fighting fires. The kid was green. Brilliant, but green. 

So Pruitt puts him in his place, which mostly involves watching and learning, as he runs the scene. He can tell the kid is pissed, but he’s keeping his mouth shut about it and doing as he’s told, earning him back a few of the points he’d lost in the first place. 

As the teams are rolling hoses and packing gear away, readying to head back to their stations, Pruitt pulls the kid aside. 

“You drink coffee, son?”

“Um, yes?”

Pruitt nods at him. “Good. We’ll get some coffee Monday after the captains’ meeting. You’ve got a hell of a lot to learn, kid, and I’ve been at this a while.” 

So they get coffee. They talk. Or, rather, Pruitt talks and Lucas listens. Pruitt pushes and Lucas takes it in stride. Pruitt hears through the department grapevine that Lucas starts spending his free time training – running drills in the incinerator, studying videos and reading through old incident reports, taking advanced EMT training. He meets Pruitt for coffee a few times and comes with an unwritten list of questions. 

Pruitt watches him grow, watches as he earns the respect of his crew, watches as he runs scenes and makes solid, strategic decisions. 

Years later when Lucas applies for the chief’s position, he asks Pruitt to write one of his letters of recommendation.


End file.
